Digital Radio will not be delayed, contrary to a few mistaken reports by newspaper reporters who don’t understand the difference between digital radio and digital tv. Broadcasts will begin in Australia from January 2009 as planned, despite erroneous reports quoting Communications Minister Stephen Conroy at the Broadcasting Summit.

Commercial Radio Australia CEO Joan Warner has confirmed to radioinfo that digital radio broadcasts will begin in major capital cities as planned:

“Unfortunately, a wire story confused comments made by the federal Communications Minister when he was discussing funding arrangements for the transition scheme in support of digital TV. [It] was then carried by several newspapers, without clarification.”

Warner says “it’s all systems go for the January arrival of digital radio.”

The comments which misled the reporter were: “This is a very tough set of economic circumstances the government is in… I’m still engaged in discussions with my colleagues about digital radio, I’m just not able at the moment to make any announcement about that.”

What Conroy may have been referring to is requests to government from the ABC, SBS and Community Radio sectors for extra digital radio transmission funding, but that is a very different thing from attributing the comments to mean that the mandated launch date is in doubt.

In any event, the Radio Industry and other media journos will get another chance to get the facts right at the upcoming Radcoms 08 Conference run by ACMA who has today announced that Senator Conroy will deliver a keynote address.

The Chairman of ACMA, Chris Chapman, said that “Government use of the radiofrequency spectrum will be a key focus of the conference. To inform this discussion, ACMA plans to release in mid-April a review it has commissioned on government spectrum holdings,”

Radcoms 08 will be held in Melbourne from Wednesday 30 April to Friday 2 May.

What the Minister really said in his Broadcasting Summit speech is quoted below. To look at one of the reports from a newspaper reporter who doesn’t undersrtand anything about radio, click the link at the bottom of this page and have a good laugh at the Daily Telegraph’s expense.

It is a pleasure to be here today at the Australian Broadcasting Summit.
This summit represents, amongst other things, a unique opportunity to discuss developments in broadcasting.
Today I would like to talk with you about one particular development that is shaping the future for Australian consumers and for Australian broadcasters. This is, of course, digital television.

As many of you here today are aware, Australia is part of a world-wide move to introduce digital TV services. Already a number of countries, such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, have completed switchover and many others, such as Germany and the United Kingdom are in the process of doing so.

Switchover is both exciting and important for all Australians. It will free up scarce transmission spectrum for the delivery of new and improved broadcasting and communications services .

This benefit is known as the “digital dividend”.

The freed spectrum is potentially available for reallocation and sale for new services such as wireless internet, mobile telephony and broadcasting. The digital dividend is clearly a major benefit of digital switchover and one eagerly anticipated by industry.

Digital television also provides substantial consumer benefits such as:
better picture and sound quality;
extra services and features such as interactivity, multiple camera angles and an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) and
greater viewing choices, with access to High Definition and Standard Definition channels.

Already in Australia , we can see many of these benefits on both free-to-air and subscription TV.

On free-to-air TV, viewers today have access to a range of additional content and channels including high-definition channels from Channels 7, 9 and 10 and standard definition multi-channels from the ABC and SBS.

Additionally, the recent re-branding of ABC TV as ABC1 and ABC2 and the announcement of the ABC’s new 24-hour continuous news centre are reflections of the digital world all broadcasters now operate in.

With subscription TV it is now the case that in just over a 30-month period, FOXTEL now broadcasts 100 per cent in digital.

FOXTEL’s digital broadcasts enable subscribers to:
utilise FOXTEL’s iQ to record what they want when they want;
make use of additional interactive services such the ability to choose multi-camera angles on various sporting broadcasts; and
operate FOXTEL’s electronic program guide (EPG).

It is no secret, however, that digital television has been slow to take hold in Australia since its introduction in 2001.
This slow beginning can largely be seen as a result of a lack of initiative and drive by the previous Government in this area.
Under the previous Government, for example, no firm switchover date was set and no consumer education was undertaken.
There was industry uncertainty, broadcasters were not active in driving take-up and there was little focus to drive consumer interest.
Well, times have changed. The Government has changed. The attitudes of the broadcasters have begun to change.

And the attitudes of consumers are now changing too.

From 2009, existing regulations will allow the commercial broadcasters to offer further content through an additional standard definition channel within their existing spectrum.

It is pleasing to hear that the commercial broadcasters have all declared an intention to take up this option in 2009.

The global media industry is well on the way to digitising the entire production chain whereby images are captured, processed, played out and transmitted in digital format across a range of platforms including TV…

The Rudd Government is serious about digital television and we are serious about completing the switchover by 31 December 2013.
Analogue to digital switchover could well be the largest change on a national scale since the introduction of decimal currency in 1966.

It will affect:
every household and dwelling in the nation; and
every TV receiver in every living room, bedroom, study or kitchen, including receivers in VCRs and other recorders.

According to ACMA’s 2006 survey, Digital TV penetration had reached 30 per cent in Australia .

I expect the 2007 survey results to be published soon, but what this shows is we still have a long way to go and there are many challenges ahead.

The end date for digital switchover is December 2013.

We recognise there is a role for the Government to play in driving digital switchover in order to reach this target.
That is why the Rudd Government is prepared today to commit a further $37.9 million dollars to drive digital television…

And so, in conclusion.
As I have pointed out today, the Australian Government is serious about achieving Digital switchover and ensuring Australians can enjoy the many benefits it offers.

Too much has time has passed since the introduction of digital television;
with too little action on the part of industry to drive take-up;
and too much Government inaction.
Well no more.

The Rudd Government recognises that there is a great deal of work to be done in order to ensure a seamless transition to digital switchover in 2013.

And it is prepared to roll up its sleeves to get this work done.

We have established a sound framework to meet the challenge and today committed an extra $37.9 million to ensure that it is done without delay.

Today we have laid yet further foundations to ensure that the nation’s journey to digital switchover will be as smooth as it can be.

We recognise that industry cooperation is a vital part of achieving digital switchover and we look forward to working closely with many of you here today in the months and years ahead to achieve this end.